Collections Manager

iStore Finance is looking for an experienced Collections Manager to lead our collections operation and drive effective recovery across the arrears portfolio.

The role is responsible for the end-to-end collections and payments management function, covering early-, mid- and late-stage delinquency. You will lead the internal collections team while also managing the performance of external debt collection partners.

As a key operational link between Collections, Credit Risk, Finance, Customer Experience, Compliance and IT, you will use data and performance insights to improve recovery strategies, identify trends and drive operational efficiencies.

The successful candidate will balance strong recovery performance with a fair, compliant and customer-focused approach to collections.

Key responsibilities

Team leadership & people management

• Lead, coach and performance-manage the internal Collections team.
• Set clear daily, weekly and monthly recovery, productivity and quality targets.
• Conduct regular one-on-ones, coaching sessions and call/interaction quality reviews.
• Develop collector capability and drive a high-performance, compliant collections culture.
• Recognise strong performance and address performance gaps through appropriate coaching and corrective action.
• Support succession planning and the ongoing development of team members.
• Manage rostering, leave and workforce planning to ensure adequate operational coverage.

Arrears collections & payments management

• Own the full arrears collections lifecycle across early-, mid- and late-stage delinquency.
• Manage collections activity across inbound, outbound and digital channels.
• Oversee payment arrangements, promise-to-pay (PTP) processes and payment plan compliance.
• Ensure collection strategies are applied in line with policy and affordability requirements.
• Monitor individual collector and overall portfolio performance and take corrective action where required.
• Ensure accurate and timely account updates, collection dispositions and payment processing across relevant systems.
• Identify opportunities to improve recovery rates, payment behaviour and collections effectiveness.

External debt collection agency management

• Manage relationships with external and third-party debt collection agencies.
• Monitor agency performance against agreed SLAs, recovery targets and compliance requirements.
• Identify and address agency underperformance and escalate issues where appropriate.
• Oversee the placement and recall of accounts between internal Collections and external agencies.
• Ensure accurate account handovers, reporting and reconciliation between iStore Finance and external partners.
• Participate in regular agency performance reviews.
• Support the onboarding, renewal and offboarding of external collections partners.

Stakeholder management

• Act as the primary link between Collections and internal functions including Finance, Credit Risk, Legal/Compliance, IT and Customer Experience.
• Collaborate with Credit and Risk teams on portfolio segmentation, collection strategies and strategy adjustments.
• Share collector, campaign and portfolio insights with the Senior Operations Manager.
• Work with internal stakeholders to resolve operational issues affecting collections performance.
• Build effective working relationships with external collections partners and ensure alignment with iStore Finance requirements.

Systems, MI & reporting

• Operate confidently across collections systems, diallers and CRM/case management platforms.
• Act as a super-user and point of support for the Collections team.
• Produce accurate daily, weekly and monthly MI covering collections performance, portfolio recovery, agency performance and team scorecards.
• Use reporting and data to identify trends, root causes and opportunities for improvement.
• Identify system and data issues affecting collections performance and work with IT/digital teams to resolve them.
• Use MI to support evidence-based collection strategies and operational decision-making.

Customer experience, queries & complaints

• Take ownership of escalated customer queries, disputes and complaints arising from collections activity.
• Ensure customer concerns are resolved fairly, professionally and within agreed turnaround times.
• Monitor query and complaint trends to identify recurring issues and root causes.
• Drive corrective action within the internal team or with external collection agencies where required.
• Ensure all collections interactions are conducted professionally and consistently with customer experience standards.
• Monitor complaint resolution turnaround times and report on customer experience outcomes.

Risk, compliance & quality assurance

• Ensure all internal and external collections activity complies with applicable legislation, including the National Credit Act (NCA), POPIA and Debt Collectors Act.
• Conduct and/or oversee quality assurance reviews of collector interactions.
• Ensure accurate records and documentation are maintained across the collections operation.
• Identify and escalate potential compliance, conduct or reputational risks.
• Ensure external collection agencies operate in accordance with agreed compliance and service requirements.
• Promote a culture of responsible, fair and compliant collections.

Required

• 5-8 years' experience in collections, credit or a related operational environment.
• 2-3 years' experience managing a team of collectors.
• Proven experience managing or working closely with external or third-party debt collection agencies.
• Strong knowledge of collections systems, diallers and CRM/case management platforms.
• Strong MI and reporting capability, with advanced Excel skills.
• Sound understanding of the South African credit and collections regulatory environment, particularly the NCA, POPIA and Debt Collectors Act.
• A Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance or a related field will be advantageous, but is not essential.

Advantageous

• Experience with digitally enabled collections platforms and diallers.
• Experience managing digital and self-service collections channels.
• Experience managing multiple external debt collection agency relationships.
• Experience within consumer lending, retail finance or financial services.

We are looking for someone who demonstrates:

• Strong people leadership, coaching and performance management capability.
• A strong understanding of collections performance and recovery strategies.
• Analytical and MI-driven decision-making.
• Strong stakeholder management across internal teams and external partners.
• A customer-focused approach to query and complaint resolution.
• Confidence working across multiple technology systems and platforms.
• High levels of integrity, accountability and compliance awareness.
• Clear and confident communication with customers, teams, stakeholders and external partners.
• The ability to balance commercial recovery objectives with fair and responsible customer outcomes.

Working conditions

• Based at 1 Sandton Drive, Johannesburg.
• Standard office hours, with flexibility required to respond to urgent arrears and recovery escalations and month-end collections cycles.
• Regular collaboration with Credit Risk, Customer Support, Finance and IT/Systems teams.
• Ongoing engagement and performance management of external debt collection agencies.